Well production fluids containing traditionally produced dialkyl phosphoric acid ester gelling agents of the general formula:

(where R1 and R2 are alkyl chains) have been found to contribute volatile phosphorus during refinery processing. This volatile phosphorus is a problem, since it condenses on the trays of distillation towers and causes plugging. Plugging leads to unexpected refinery shutdowns—events that can cost a refinery millions of dollars per day.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,262 has suggested two methods for dealing with this problem, both which are employed at the production stage. These methods include substituting another compound for the trialkyl phosphates during the manufacturing process or removing the trialkyl phosphates from the produced phosphoric acid esters.